Changed
by logarhythm
Summary: Edward Elric: sentenced for life for shooting seven unarmed officers last Tuesday. Edward Elric: confused, angry and has no idea why the hell he's wanted for murder. Fugitive!Fem!Ed /RoyEd in later chapters/ [HIATUS]
1. Prologue: Memories

**New story~ Yes, I'm sorry, I should be updating _TATMWITC_ and _Ward 17_ but my plot bunny for those has gone on vacation, so you'll have to make do with a new plot bunny I accidentally adopted a few minutes ago :**

**Disclaimer~**

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><p><strong>Prologue - Memories<strong>

"Hey, Chief!" Havoc's voice rang clear through the pristine gardens of Central HQ.

Ed grinned. "What's up? You're in a good mood," he joked.

Havoc smirked as he jogged up towards Ed, closing the distance between them. "Guess who just got promoted?" he chuckled when he was four feet away.

Ed's eyes widened. "No way!" He grinned, eyes beaming, laughing with Havoc, as he slapped him hard on the back. "Good for you."

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><p>"Hey, Chief."<p>

Ed turned, his eyebrows slightly furrowed in confusion at the unusually serious tone of his colleague's voice. "What is it?"

Havoc gestured with a thumb towards Mustang's office. "He wants to see you."

Ed's eyes narrowed fractionally. "Why?"

Havoc shrugged. "No idea. He just said it was urgent and that you should see him immediately, no matter what you're doing."

Ed blinked. "That's… strange."

Havoc chuckled. "Tell me about it. Well, why don't you go pay our dear Colonel a visit? Find out what's so important and tell me, eh?" Havoc winked.

Ed grinned. "Sure."

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><p><em>Creeeeeeaak.<em>

"… Colonel Bastard?"

No reply.

"Colonel?"

Silence.

"… Mustang?"

"Shhh!"

There was a muffled yelp as large hands covered his mouth.

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><p>Ed couldn't find it in himself to reply. For eleven deathly minutes, the only sound that could be heard was the occasional tick of the broken clock on the wall and Ed as he slowly drew himself into hyperventilation.<p>

"I understand this might have come as a shock to you, but-"

"_No you don't fucking understand!_"

"Fullmetal, I urge you to quiet down, otherwise-"

"_Shut the fuck up! I'll scream and shout if I want to!_"

"Not if it's going to get you killed-!"

Ed collapsed, vision blacking out as if someone had pressed his 'off' button somewhere. Roy sighed in frustration at the gasping breaths and single tear streak.

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><p>"I see him-"<p>

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><p>"Get that murdering bastard-"<p>

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><p>"Quick! Run!"<p>

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><p>"Run."<p>

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><p><em>Run<em>.

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><p><strong>Ahaha, I can see how this could be very confusing : But don't worry, because everything (more or less) will be explained in the first chapter~<strong>


	2. One: Filling in the Blanks

**Sorry for the long wait xD;; I bring a short chapter... mainly filler, just to sort out the confusion. Next chapter will be up very soon in compensation. :D**

**Disclaimer~**

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><p><strong>Chapter One - Filling in the Blanks<strong>

"… What?" Edward breathed, unable to make his vocal chords work.

Mustang's face was hard and firm, though believing - somewhat like a disillusioned child who didn't want to believe Santa Claus wasn't real. "Like I just said, Fullmetal. You have been sentenced to a life sentence in jail for killing seven soldiers yesterday afternoon. The majority of the military - meaning the soldiers who don't know you personally - is looking for you right now. I strongly recommend you up and leave. Right now. Don't leave a single trace behind, because they'll catch you."

No reply.

Roy screwed his face up, panic and worry and urgency finally seeping through his carefully constructed mask of order. "Fuck, Fullmetal! I mean _now_!"

Ed blinked, snapping out of his daze. "What about Al? He'll be okay, right?"

Mustang sighed. "Yes, he'll be fine, as long as he stays out of it and doesn't try to cover up for you." At Ed's wary glance, he added, "Covering up for your arse is _my_ job."

Ed drew in a deep breath, resting his face in his hands and exhaling a shaky laugh. "Okay. Okay, I'll go. Just make sure I can get to the military dorms without anyone seeing me."

Roy nodded. "All part of the plan." He shoved a map under Ed's drooping nose. "Here." He pointed to a town just north of East City. "You should probably go here. This is far away enough from Central to be out of the way, but not so obscure as to attract attention. You can blend in with the bustle of city life here. It'll be hard to find you. Though you're pretty famous, so you should probably do as much as possible to change your appearance, just in case you come across an Amestrian soldier there."

Ed nodded.

"Only take as much as you can carry." He gave Ed a quick glance up and down. "And burn those clothes."

Ed nodded again, trying his best to take all of it in. He was trying, really, but everything just seemed like a dream. As if, at any moment, he'd wake up and find out he overslept and be late for work and have Roy yell at him and make sarcastic jokes about his height like he always did. "Right," he said as firmly as he could, though he winced as it was barely audible because of the shake in his voice.

Roy nodded in acknowledgement. "Leave, Fullmetal."

To anyone else, that might've sounded rude and dismissing, but Ed knew the bastard - as much as he hated to admit it - and he could see the tense lines in his face and the strain in his voice, giving away the care that shouldn't come from a cold superior officer.

Ed saluted - for the first (and probably last) time in his five-year-long military career - and grinned shakily. "Yes, sir."

Roy shot him a mirthless smirk as he strode out of the wooden door, the look in his eyes sending Ed one final message: _Good luck_.

With his trademark grin, Ed exited, leaving Roy to sigh heavily into his palms and fish around in his pockets for the key to a secret drawer of his desk - a drawer which held his version of God.

He poured himself a glass of the amber liquid, groaning as the familiar fire incinerated his throat and numbed his throbbing head.

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><p><strong>By soon I mean possibly today or tomorrow... :D (Review? x3)<strong>


	3. Two: Three Years Later

**Again, very short - but there just wasn't anything else to say without time-skipping in the middle of the chapter xD**

**Disclaimer~**

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><p><strong>Chapter Two - Three Years Later<strong>

_Tweet tweet, tweet tweet-tweet twee-_

_Slam, click._

"Don't close the window, sir. It's boiling in here."

"Those birds were hindering my concentration, Havoc. Turn the fan on if you're too hot."

_Crinkle, crinkle, chomp._

"Breda, _must_ you eat in here?"

"Sorry, sir. Only had an apple at lunch."

_Click, click, tap, tug. Yank. Whack-_

"Ack! Sir, the radio's on fire!"

_Crash, shatter._

Silence.

"Everyone," Roy ground out through gritted teeth, "go home."

A few confused faces were received in reply, but the subordinates were swiftly out of the corridor and down the stairs when Roy began to froth at the mouth.

"Sir," Hawkeye said softly but firmly, the only colleague who had stayed. "Permission to speak freely?"

Roy nodded grouchily, muttering, "Granted, Lieutenant."

Riza's posture relaxed slightly. "I know how tense you are, sir, but you shouldn't take it out on everyone here. They did nothing wrong." At his noncommittal grunt, she sighed. "If you _must_ do something, sir, then put together a plan to protect Edward."

Roy breathed out a gruff sigh of his own. "I suppose you're right, Lieutenant. Do you have information on the troops Fuhrer Hakuro sent after him?"

Riza shook her head. "No, sir. But I can ask Colonel Hughes about it, sir."

Roy smiled. "Thank you, that would be most appreciated. I have a horrible headache and I just don't think I can face those photos right now.

Hawkeye let a small smirk show as she saluted. "He finishes in five minutes, sir. I may as well leave for the Information department now."

Roy nodded, smiling back. "Dismissed, Lieutenant."

Hawkeye swiftly marched out of the roof, leaving Roy to wallow in his worry for the boy he hadn't seen in three years. He'd told Fullmetal to leave for a reasonably-sized town near the Aerugoan border, and a couple of weeks later he'd received an 'anonymous' phone call stating he'd arrived safely. Last year, however, Hakuro had finally reached breaking point. He'd scoured the city, as well as East City, West City, North City and South City - he'd even searched Rush Valley, Dublith and Resembool. None of the mentioned places showed any sign of the 'traitorous' alchemist, however, and Hakuro had been tearing his rapidly greying hair out until his right-hand man, General Breyers, had suggested they search more obscure places. Hakuro, the idiot that he was, hadn't even considered the idea until eight Generals lined up to see him, each politely urging him to search small, out-of-the-way towns for the rogue alchemist, in the hopes that he'd been hiding somewhere more discreet than his reputation might suggest.

So, what must've been close to six months ago, Hakuro had sent battalions to town all over the map - including Ryforth, the mining town Roy had sent Fullmetal to.

They'd been there for months and there was still no trace of the boy, so Roy could only assume he'd gotten away, but the worry and anxiety of simply _not knowing_ had been eating away at him. He knew he shouldn't care this much for a subordinate (especially one such as Ed - rude, uncooperative and moody at best), but it was in his nature. His men supported him in his goal to be Fuhrer, secretly pushing him up from below - in a very similar way to Hughes - and they gave him their unwavering loyalty; in return, Roy cared for them and protected them, preferring not to risk their lives unless it was absolutely necessary, a kind treatment that was unlikely to be received from any other Brigadier-Generals.

However - and this was a fact that still had Roy shaking his head in denial - Fullmetal was another case entirely.

_Entirely._

Roy was rudely interrupted from his musings, however, when his office door flew open and a familiar voice called out, "General!"

Roy blinked in surprise. "Alphonse?"

Al rarely visited him, now that his brother was gone. The only reason he ever stopped by was for information on his brother's whereabouts. For some reason unbeknownst to Roy, they still let him into the military building. "General, Mr. Hughes and Ms. Hawkeye sent me!"

This sparked Roy's attention. "What did they say?"

"They said-" Al paused for breath- "They said nii-san had been found!"

Roy could feel the acid in his stomach bubble, even as it hit the floor. "... What?"

"But, but-" more panting (poor boy, he must've run the whole way)- "Nii-san got away! And the soldiers are still looking for him, but apparently they found him a few months back, and they almost had him, General, they almost did but nii-san lost them and they haven't been able to find him for four months! And now they're looking all over the place - where he stayed, where he's been, how long - but they can't find any trace of him. It's like he's disappeared or something! And they're still looking, but Hughes overheard - well, I'm not sure if he actually did or not, Mr. Breda told me, but he said Hughes overheard General Breyers saying it would take ages to track nii-san down again, and he sounded frustrated, so I really think nii-san got away, and-"

"Alphonse." Roy stated firmly, holding up an exasperated hand. "Say that all again, slowly."

Al chuckled breathlessly, before starting again. "Four months ago, the soldiers caught nii-san in that place you sent him, but he got away and no one's been able to find him since. I don't know why it's been kept a secret until now, but Hughes just found out and - and it's good, I suppose, but it means we have no idea where nii-san is."

Roy nodded numbly. Fullmetal was out of the soldiers' grasp, but in no way safe, and probably somewhere far, far away. Hopefully somewhere so far away you'd need to be able to fly to get there. After his heart rate had slowed to something resembling normal, he nodded again, this time more confident. "Thank you, Alphonse."

Al nodded in reply as he slumped into a nearby chair. There was a short intake of breath followed by a moment of tense silence, as if Al was deciding whether to say something or not. Eventually, he murmured, "Are you going to look for him?"

This took Roy by surprise. "I see no reason to, Alphonse. Even if the military is hot on his heels, Fullmetal has never been one to back down, and apparently he's more slippery than I thought. He'll probably make some more adjustments to his appearance, change his name, move somewhere else - but he'll do whatever he can to stay alive, Alphonse. I think my men and I suddenly deciding to join the chase would look a little suspicious, anyway. We might end up attracting unwanted attention."

Al nodded slowly. "... I see."

Roy gave Al a considering look before asking, "Are you?"

Al turned his head to face Roy, the only other occupant of the empty-seeming room. Showing a small smirk that was so like Ed is was shocking, he said quietly, "Maybe."

Roy wasn't sure whether to be annoyed with him or encourage him. Al would be doing a reckless thing by searching for his brother right under the military's nose, but Roy supposed recklessness was in the Elric blood and, if Ed's will of steel was anything to go by, so was stubbornness. No matter what Roy would say to try to prevent the younger Elric from pursuing his brother, he would go anyway. It was just a question of whether Roy would be willing to give his support or not. Besides, Al was nineteen now - a legal adult, and Roy could take no lawful measures to prevent him from leaving, even if he wanted to.

After a minute's contemplative silence, Roy sighed in resignation. "Okay. But if you find him, call my house. I don't want you risking you or your brother's lives by calling my office." Roy scribbled a number on the back of one of his accounting sheets and offered it to the young man.

Al smiled gratefully, wandering over to the desk to take the paper. "Thank you, General. I'll be sure to contact you if I find anything."

Roy nodded. "When are you planning on leaving?"

Al shrugged. "I don't know. It's not like I have anything to finish here first, and the military knows I'm always on the move anyway, so I may as well leave soon. Possibly tomorrow."

Roy raised an eyebrow, though didn't question it. He knew that no matter how worried he was, it was nothing compared to the tense anxiety Fullmetal's kin must be feeling.

"Well then, General," Al addressed with a note of finality and a small huff of energy, "I suppose I won't be seeing you for a while. I'll be spending most of tonight packing and catching up on sleep, so I probably won't see anyone before I leave. Send them my regards." Al smiled as he gathered the jacket carelessly slung over the back of the chair he'd been sitting on.

Roy nodded. "Will do. Oh, and Alphonse," he said just as Al's hand was on the doorknob, "Be careful."

Al giggled. "Don't worry, General, I'm not nii-san."

Roy smirked as the boy left, sighing in hopeful resignation. If anyone was going to find Fullmetal, it was his brother.

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><p><strong>Next chapter will be up soon (though probably not today) as my writer's block has FINALLY disappeared. Yays.<strong>


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